Sick
by puppetfish
Summary: After a wild night of foolish activities, Mathias ends up with a cold and Lukas is the one who takes care of him.


''It's _your_ fault.''  
Mathias sniffed and swallowed, staring up at Lukas with a pathetic look etched on his face. He recalled the events of the previous night. Having been quite heavily intoxicated, he did not remember very much at all. He did vaguely remember something about running around outside his apartment naked in the cold air, accompanied by his best friend Gilbert, and _his_ two best friends... what were their names again?

''Don't look at me like that.'' snapped the Norwegian, busily attempting to clean the living room, although he didn't seem to doing much apart from moving the cushions on the couch around. He looked rather uncomfortable, too. He was probably just annoyed by the Dane's presence.  
''Lukas?'' gurgled the said Dane.  
''What?''  
''Could you get me something warm?'' he wiped his runny nose on the back of his sleeve, making an unnatractive noise in the process. Lukas cringed a little in disgust. _This_ was one of the main reasons why he had told Mathias not to caper around outdoors in the freezing air, naked. But he did it anyways, the great lumbering fool.  
''You're not an infant. Get it yourself.'' came the curt reply.  
Another few moments of silence followed, as the two just stared at each other. Mathias looked like a bird who had just flown into a window. Lukas was indifferent.  
''Lukas?'' came the obnoxious whine, after a short pause.  
''What?''  
''It's really, really cold.''

Looking over at him properly, Lukas couldn't help but pity the soggy little heap hunched up at the very corner of the couch. He sensed a rather odd tug at his heartstrings, and felt it in his heart to act compassionately towards his sickly friend. Even if it was all his fault for not listening in the first place.

''What do you expect me to do about it?'' he demanded.  
Mathias just stared up with that stupid, helpless look on his face. He answered him not like it was obvious, but like he was confessing about having done something vulgar.  
''I just need a blanket.''  
Lukas felt like laughing at Mathias, who was obviously afraid to ask for a favour from him.  
''...Wait just a moment, then.'' he replied, masking his amusement expertly.  
Lukas trekked away to fetch a blanket and some tissues, and also to turn on the stove. He heated up milk to make hot chocolate, thinking about how generous he was and cringing again as he heard a loud, disgusting snort come from the next room. He hastily delivered the blanket and tissues to Mathias, who took them from him like a child on Christmas.  
''Takk, Lukas.'' he mumbled groggily, with watery eyes.  
Lukas just nodded curtly and pretended that he wasn't feeling the happy warmth that spread through him as he heard those words. He couldn't tell if Mathias' eyes were wet from his sickness, or if he was so truly grateful for his damn blanket.  
He returned to the kitchen and poured the hot chocolate into Mathias' favourite mug, complete with those ( irritating, as Lukas always thought to himself ) little marshmallows.

He even remembered which teaspoon Mathias always used.

He then carried it into the living room and set it down on the coffee table in front of Mathias, not looking at him nor making a sound as he did. The invalid grinned hopefully, not daring to pick it up. Lukas gave no hint as to whether it was for him or not.  
Mathias looked up at Lukas for permission.  
''It's not poisin, you know.'' he said flatly. Mathias just nodded breathlessly, and Lukas casually wondered if Mathias' brain was disorientated from sickness, or if he was just plain thick. Lukas nodded at the cup, the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.  
''For you.'' he admitted reluctantly.  
Mathias looked like he had just won the lottery as he seized the hot beverage and lapped at it eagerly. ''Lukas, you're a saint.''  
The latter just nodded, not used to hearing those words - especially not from Mathias - and smiled inwardly. These were one of the few occassions, Lukas noticed, that Mathias truly appreciated the things that he was given, and yet somehow expressed his gratitude pridefully at the same time. Lukas' face softened a little, fondly.

At this point Lukas had turned away and started to walk off.  
''Norge!'' called Mathias hoarsely. Lukas frowned - he hated that stupid nickname. Mathias always used it when he wanted to get Lukas' attention. Lukas did not know why he even responded to it.  
He turned back to tell Mathias off, but was surprised to find that he was grinning up at him, patting the space on the couch beside him. ''Sit with me, Nor. Let's watch a movie together.''  
Lukas simply stared blankly, and wondered why the way that Mathias said ''together'' made his heartbeat skip.  
''Sorry, I have other things more important that I should be doing.'' he lied.

Mathias frowned a little. He could never tell when Lukas was lying or not, he was such an expert at it. He also wondered why it was such a task to be around him. A _wall_ had a more interesting view on life than the stotic Norwegian.  
And yet, he was different in a way. He was not like Gilbert, or Alfred - his two best friends - and those other guys who were friends of Gilbert that Mathias could not remember for the life of him. Nevertheless, Lukas certainly wasn't like any of them. But Mathias was fond of him, in a weird kind of way. Maybe a little more than any of his other friends. A lot more, as a matter of fact.  
And it just so happened that the feeling was mutual.

Lukas could tell that Mathias was starting to debate on the subject, so he impulsively decided to take up his offer and sat down beside him, leaning over towards the coffe table to pick up one of the DVDs.  
''I'll put it on.'' Mathias cawed a little too loudly, snatching the DVD from Lukas and running over to the TV to put it on. Lukas arched a slim eyebrow and watched him from his seat, leaning back.  
When Mathias returned to the couch, he sat closer to Lukas then where he had previously sat. Turning his head to give him what he thought was a charming grin, Mathias sniffed loudly again and grabbed for a tissue quickly while Lukas averted his eyes.

The awkwardness faded when the movie began and both were busy watching it.

However, Mathias has a very short attention movie quickly started to get boring. And when it did, _he_ got bored.  
Glancing over at Lukas, he smirked and shifted just a tiny bit closer to him. The other barely gave any note, and still didn't notice the constant shifting until a warm, strong arm draped acrost his slim shoulders.  
''Do you have a problem?'' Lukas asked quietly. It was a threat.  
''Nah, just getting comfortable.'' the intolerable Dane teased.  
Lukas pulled away a little but Mathias clinged.  
''Get your filthy diseased hands away from me.'' snapped Lukas. ''My hands aren't diseased!'' protested Mathias. ''Your hands don't get diseased when you have a cold!''  
''You've been wiping your snotty nose with your hands all day. Could you not touch me!''

Mathias flat out refused to let go. As much as Lukas would hate to admit it, he loved the feeling of Mathias' arm around him, of course. So he shut his mouth then and decided to give Mathias the silent treatment. Naturally, Mathias took this as a good sign.  
It was not long before that arm was pulling and shifting him even closer, so close in fact that Lukas ended up on his lap.  
''Mathias, kutt ut.''  
He was given no reply.

Neither of them stirred for about two very uncomfortable minutes. The movie droned on and Mathias just sat there limply, still weakly clinging to Lukas, while the latter sat very stiffly upright. There was no noise coming from them apart from the ocassional sniff on Mathias' part.

Then it happened - slowly, surely, very reluctantly; Lukas shifted, leaned back and curled up his legs, half sitting and half laying on Mathias' lap. He gently laid his lead down against Mathias' chest, and felt those strong arms wrap around his body affectionately. Mathias' breathing became slightly less even as he did; then again, it could have just been his cold.

''Lukas.'' he mumbled under his breath, stroking the Norwegian's oh-so-soft hair.  
''Your breath smells.'' Lukas stated.  
Mathias smiled wickedly and leaned very, very close to Lukas, before opening his mouth a little and breathing out softly into his pale, pretty face.  
''M-mathias! Germs!'' choked Lukas furiously.  
The loudmouth Dane giggled and squeezed him fondly, sending pleasant shivers through Lukas, who wriggled uncomfortably but did not protest.  
The pair rested comfortably against each other, occasionally stroking each other's hair or patting in various places, and remained like that for the rest of the movie. When it was finally over, Lukas could hear Mathias' loud, ragged snores coming from above his head. He slipped off of his lap and gently wrapped his arms around Mathias' body, lifting him into a more comfortable position for him to lie down on the couch and sleep. He tucked the blanket around him and hovered for a moment, lightly brushing his hand against the other's cheek, before tiptoeing out of the room.  
On his way out he picked up Mathias' cup and noticed that it was still quite full. Lukas sniffed a little, thinking to himself on what a waste it really was, and reminding himself not to make hot chocolate for Mathias the next time he got sick.


End file.
